Tonight is the Biggest Game of the Year

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1. Mark, I agree with you that Castellanos would be a good addition for any team, but where would you play him? You have three outfielders already signed for 2022 and JT is probably going to be the DH next year so you can’t put Casty there either.

   He’s going to get a major contract so you can’t just sign him and say wait until 2023 and we’ll have room for you.

   They’re saying AJ might be back in about 3 weeks but you can never tell with hamstring injuries. The player is often out longer than expected.

   The problem this creates is that we have all kinds of potential replacements who bat left handed and don’t hit southpaws very well and the cupboard is bare with regard to a right handed hitting replacement.

   The OKC roster isn’t of much help. Neuse is on the 60 day IL, Davidson is a corner infielder and the list goes on. I wonder if they would consider trying Souza again, although that would create the need to lop someone off the 40-man roster.

   Maybe AF will use his magical talents to scoop someone off the waiver wire that none of us had ever considered. There must be another Muncy or Taylor out there who is just waiting to be discovered. Do your stuff Andrew!

   1. Dare I say it ? What about the Wild Horse for the stretch run ?
      Maybe the Dodgers can catch ligning in a bottle a second time. I know, he might be a clubhouse distraction but he would fit exactly what we need with AJ out. Right handed power bat, great defense, all world arm. Though a headache on the basepaths.
      Roll the dice one more time ? Second chance ?

      Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      1. I like the idea, but I don’t know how the 40-man roster works, I think they would have to remove someone, also I think that Puig would not be viable for post-season

      2. I’m in. Seems a far better solution than most anything else out there.
         That said, I think the odds AF would do it are very very low.

         And yes, you’re correct Jorge, someone would need to be removed from the 40-man roster to accommodate Puig and he would not be eligible for post season, but hopefully by then AJ would be back.

      3. I might have bit on that proposal a couple of weeks ago when Mookie was on the IL and Puig would have be eligible for the post season. For those that don’t want Bauer back for concern over the clubhouse, Puig makes Bauer look like a choir boy.

         1. I would like to see Puig in blue at least for one more time, one last ride …. And I want Bauer back!

         2. Puig makes Bauer look like a choir boy? We must be looking at different choirs.

            1. Where did you hear something as ridiculous as that Jefe?

            2. Never mind.

            3. I have SO MANY inappropriate answers to that.
               cheers
               pb+

      4. The last I read, Puig was playing in Mexico. If that is the case , when is the last time he faced MLB pitching? I do not want the Dodgers to bring him back. I was just wondering if he’d even be ready to play MLB.

2. The fact that Kike Hernandez is in the top 30 in WAR is yet ANOTHER example why WAR is a flawed stat.

   I’m glad Mark touched on the fact that defense is overrated. Defense is also what makes WAR a flawed stat.

   Don’t get me wrong, I do value defense, but I don’t value it first or over value it like some people do.

   1. Nobody values defense first in this day and age.

      No more Omar Visquels or Ozzie Smith.

      Heck, no more defense first catchers. Not making an out if too important.

      1. Players get paid by how many Wins they show on their stat sheet. Defense counts.

         That said, your point is a good one. Our roster looks like a pretty good example at which to point.

   2. So it is better to score a run than stop a run?

      Explain that mathematical equation to me.

      Look at everyone on that list for WAR and explain to me who doesn’t belong.

      1. 1. Runs are equal

         2. Can’t explain why. They just are dammit

         3. Vlag Guerrero

      2. Kike doesn’t belong on that top 30 list. About 1/3 of his total WAR is defensive WAR, but UZR hates him and DRS love him. This tells me that neither are reliable enough to assign a definitive value to, so any player that gets a large portion of his total WAR from defensive WAR is less valuable than a player that earns most of their WAR from offense.

         Look at Kike’s 114 OPS Plus and his RBI and Runs scored. They’re anemic compared Lowe and Freeman, the two guys that sandwich him on the list.

3. The best defense is a good offense. And baseball differs from all other sports because defense has control of the ball and pitchers attack batters.

4. It was a great win last night, knotting things up again for the top spot in the league. But, it came with a great cost. Let’s hope that AJ’s injury looks a lot worse than it actually was. With our luck this year, that scenario seems unlikely.

   Not as unlikely as Puig coming home for a reunion. That’s just not going to happen. They aren’t going to move Betts off right field, and there’s probably no way Puig is going to be happy playing left field. He’s a square peg in a round hole. Sure, it would be a great story, but it is firmly grounded in fiction.

   Defense vs. Offense? You have to have both. I still like the old school way of building a team with strong defense up the middle and power on the corners. If you can add defense to the corners without sacrificing power, you gain competitive advantage. If you can add power up the middle without sacrificing defense, the same is true.

   Kike is an enigma and like Eric, I don’t put a lot of stock into defensive stats. The crazy thing about Kike’s defense is that DRS loves him, but UZR hates him. That’s a big red flag for me. He’s having a good year with the bat, but we’ve seen that before. He will regress as he’s done in the past.

   As far as Nick Castellanos goes, that dude was always supposed to be a tremendous hitter and he’s gradually improved over time with the bat. Unfortunately, he hasn’t with the glove. He’s still a horrible outfielder with no range and he’s probably right at his peak at age 29 this year. Sorry, but I’m going to have to pass again. I’m not going to give him a 5 year deal and pay him for horrible defense and diminishing offense in those last couple of years. MT was pretty quiet about Casty last year when he OPS’d .784. He’s putting up big numbers in a small ballpark, that won’t translate to Chavez Ravine. Don’t believe me? Look at his home/road splits. He looks like he plays for the Rockies.

   There’s no magic pill to replace Pollock. We aren’t going to pick up a waiver claim on a hitter as capable as he is. Our best bet is to just keep rolling out CT3 and Belli and hope they manage to break out of their slumps. It’s crazy to hear everyone so upset about Pollock when everyone is trading him away every offseason.

   That WAR list is pretty crazy. Is Cedric Mullins the next Mookie Betts at 5’8″, he’s sure doing a great Mookie impression for the O’s. Carlos Correa is going to paid! I wonder how all those back injuries in recent years will affect him.

   It doesn’t surprise me that Will Smith is the top catcher on that list.

   With Bryan Reynolds and Ke’Bryan Hayes, the Pirates have a couple of stars to build around.

   Throw in Jake Cronenworth in the Tommy Pham trade is looking like the heist of the century.

   Bryce Harper is fifth in WAR. I guess for every Nick Castellanos, there’s a Bryce Harper. Don’t pat yourself on the back too hard. K-Bear so far with the Nats .150/.150/.150/.300, but a very small sample size for the 22 year old. We kept the right catcher.

   Yoan Moncada is the guy the Dodgers passed on in order to blow their International Money load all over Yasiel Sierra and Company. You win some, you lose some.

   Doc and company are handling Julio just right. At around 95 pitches, it was a good time to pull him. Keep him under 100 pitches each outing and keep him fresh. I’m not going to complain about Urias’ physique, he’s in great shape. Like Ryu once said, round is a shape.

   I really wish Belli would pull his head out. A little less hitch and lot more swinging at strikes would go a long way. He looks like he’s pressing again. He needs to focus on the process, not on the results.

   I love Seager and hope he comes back. There isn’t another shortstop in the league I would rather have. He’ll make an unbelievable third baseman in a few years when Eddys Leonard is ready to take over.

   Bueller on the hill tonight with those shadows helping him out. I would say the win probability is pretty good.

   1. Puig – you don’t think he’d be happy playing left field? When the option is sitting home on his couch, I think he’d be thrilled to be playing left field in DS. That said, I agree it ain’t gonna happen.

      Eddys Leonard – a really intriguing prospect but I think if the front office considered him our future shortstop, they would probably be playing him there every day. He’s moving all around the infield, so that tells me he probably won’t be the shortstop when he gets here. I would bet on 2nd or 3rd base.

      1. If Puig would not be a cancer in the locker room, I would be okay with him filling in for several weeks too.

         1. As B&P wrote Puig is fiction.

            Can we keep our ruminating to things that have a chance at happening?

            Lux? Raley?

            1. I figured Raley would be called up when AJ went down. He was thumping for a while. OPS’d over 1.000 in August. And, he’s hitting left handers down there better than right handers. OPS’n 1.341 WRISP. But, we got Beaty, McKinney and Bellinger.

            2. Yeah, I figured so, but I just thought I would add my two cents, even though I pretty much know……THAT AINT EVER GOING TO HAPPEN PERIOD!

         2. TM, nunca segundas partes fueron buenas.

            1. Sí, bastante….

   2. K-Bear so far with the Nats .150/.150/.150/.300, but a very small sample size for the 22-year-old. We kept the right catcher.

      I guess I was wrong, after 20 ABs, Kaybears’ career is officially over. He should seek another line of work.

      You just love to talk. I wish you would say something…

      … and I did say something about Casty. I said a “short bad season doesn’t change my mind.”

      Using your rationale, Alex Verdugo is nearly Mookies equal because he is hitting .286? By the way, I still stand by my predictions that Ruiz will be an All-Star and Alex Verdugo is Gwynn-esque. Both players are still very young and progress is not linear. No matter what Alex says, he is a West Coast guy and hates Boston. I am sure that affects his play somewhat, but he has been solid, if not spectacular. He has struggled with LHP this year (uncharacteristic) but hit a walk off against a LHP last night. He is growing…

      1. After seeing how Lux is struggling coming up to the bigs, I no longer am THAT impressed with guys who are killing it in the minors thinking they are a shoe in to do the same in the bigs.

         Still an uncertainty….never a given!

      2. Explain Gwynn-esque? My immediate response is Nobody is Gwynn-esque but I don’t know what you mean so, maybe I’m wrong. You know I like Ruiz. I had him in our lineup already. Smith continues to surprise me. I’ve always questioned Verdugo’s maturity. Not sure why I say that, I don’t really know the guy.

5. Clayton Kershaw To Begin Rehab Assignment
   By Darragh McDonald | September 5, 2021 at 8:11am CDT

   Clayton Kershaw will begin a rehab assignment on Tuesday, per Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says the plan is for Kershaw to throw three innings for their Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City. The star lefty has been out for more than 60 days, meaning he’s eligible to come off the 60-day IL at any time. Castillo also relays that another Dodgers starter, Tony Gonsolin, began a rehab assignment of his own yesterday. Both pitchers could potentially be activated soon if they don’t experience any setbacks.

   If this all goes according to plan, it would be great news for the Dodgers and a rotation that has had to improvise for a lot of the season because of injuries. In addition to Kershaw and Gonsolin missing significant time, they lost Dustin May to Tommy John surgery. To cover for these losses, the club made the deadline additions of Max Scherzer and Danny Duffy, the latter of whom was also injured at the time and has yet to throw for his new team. They also signed Cole Hamels, only for him to suffer a season-ending injury before getting into a game.

   Before going on the injured list, Kershaw was having another excellent season, throwing 106 1/3 innings with an ERA of 3.39 and excellent strikeout and walk rates of 30.1% and 4.5%, respectively. Gonsolin has also been effective when healthy this year, throwing 35 2/3 innings with a 2.78 ERA and solid 26.6% strikeout rate, although his walk rate of 16.5% is well above the 8.7% league average. Getting one or both of those hurlers back would be a tremendous help for a team that, despite the injuries, is locked into baseball’s tightest and most exciting pennant race, with the Dodgers and Giants sharing both the top spot in the NL West and the best record in baseball. (The Rays are also tied for the latter distinction.)

   Kershaw’s return is also important for him personally as the 33-year-old is a few months away from reaching free agency for the first time in his career. Assuming he can stay healthy and pitch up to his usual standard, he’d be sure to receive and reject a qualifying offer at season’s end, before hitting the open market.

   1. They might have a mid-week sellout at OKC on Tuesday.

6. Great great win for our boys. I went to bed with the score 3-1 and surprisingly woke up to see 6-1. I just figured the Giants would make a late push and make it a very close game. I guess Trienen, and of all people, Graterol, had something else in mind.

   Losing Pollock really hurts, not only because he is doing so well, but because he is RHB. I think the league knows, if you want to beat the Dodgers, pitch a lefty against them. Fortunately for us, Max and Seager hit lefties pretty well. Too bad Max doesn’t also play the OF. We could play Pujols at 1B and Max in LF if he did.

   I guess the Giants do another bullpen game tonight seeing they have no rested starters. Them playing on Thursday while we rested really did benefit us. They had to use Logan Webb instead of using him to open up on Friday. Sorry….. But they do have a very good bullpen so we may see some of them go 2 innings instead of 1 inning tonight. Guys like Rogers, Leone, McGee, and Littell. Good luck with that SF….. Not really!

   One last point….I know some of you here are excited seeing Cody hit the ball hard (for an out) and I can understand that- baby steps, right? But, without Pollock, I cringe at the thought of Cody batting against LHP. He is the closest thing to an automatic out when facing a lefty….a decent lefty for sure. It boggles my mind to know we don’t even have one RHB (outfielder) in the minors who can come up and at least platoon with Cody. Oh well…it is what it is. Go Blue…first place tomorrow morning looks good!

   TM

   1. It’s why Kike’ would be so good to have right now. I was surprised AF didn’t try to get a right hand at bat he could stash in AAA before the trade deadline (Souza excluded).

      Read an article a couple of months ago saying that infield defense isn’t as valuable these days because players are focusing on launch angle. It was stated that a shortstop may get only 4 plays in a game, so their offensive stats are more important. Interesting argument; which over a long season can be justified. However, in the playoff’s one error can be catastrophic. Of course so can one timely hit.

      1. I read the same thing MP. Yet when you look at dWAR rankings you still see SS with over 500 total chances and values over 2. And though we don’t see as many DP as we usta did, don’t you just love it when we do see one?

         I may be a dinosaur but I still value up the middle defense.

      2. That is a very valid point! A game-changer, in fact!

7. I would guess there’s about 20 guys in the Dodger locker room that don’t want Puig back! Probably more of a chance that Mark would be our new closer. Even without a curve! A big Striker performance tonight would go a long way towards a Cy Young

8. Yasiel Puig is HATED (that may be an understatement) by many Dodger players and coaches. I know it for a fact!

   If the Dodgers brought him back (and they would not even consider it), there might be a revolt.

   You can believe what you want about Trevor Bauer, but nothing has been proven, except that he had rough sex with that woman. How rough is up for conjecture?

   Some of you have acquitted him in your minds and some of you have convicted him. Both of you are mistaken. I learned Evidentiary Law from the best: Edward J. Imwinkelried, and what you may think is “evidence’ is not.

   https://law.ucdavis.edu/faculty/imwinkelried/
   

   I have read that book at least 5 times… and to me, he bears a resemblance to Jeff Dominique. Edward is a handsome man, Jeff! 😉

   1. My mustache is just as gray, but I do have a bit more hair.

   2. I got that book per your suggestion. I found several things in it I suggested to our lawyer. He used none of it. As you know, he got his ass kicked.

9. TM wrote, “I think the league knows, if you want to beat the Dodgers, pitch a lefty against them.” I am certain that is a common thought because I keep reading it. But the facts say different. LAD has 40 games against LHP and 96 games against RHP. Against LHP, the Dodgers have a .650 winning percentage and against RHP they have a .625 winning percentage. So percentage wise, they have a better chance of victory against LHP. The Braves started two LHP against LAD and lost both games (Smyly and Fried). No team has a better winning percentage against LHP than do the Dodgers. No team is really that close. The next best team has a .622 winning percentage (White Sox). Against LHP, 18 teams have a winning percentage and 12 teams do not.

   Fans can certainly justify their beliefs that the best way to beat LAD is to pitch a lefty, but the numbers do not bear that out. Small sample size? Perhaps. Maybe they just got lucky and only faced bad LHP.

   1. Most of the wins against southpaws were probably with AJ in the lineup and he’s been one of our most productive hitters all year.

      Speaking of replacing AJ, it won’t be Lux or Beaty, at least not today. Both are in the OKC starting lineup. Lux is starting in center field, I believe for the first time.

      1. AJ has been very productive against both RHP and LHP. But her certainly was not the only hitter in the lineup with good LHP splits.

         AJ vs RHP – .296/.344/.508/.852 vs LHP – .298/.370/.509/.879
         Seager vs RHP – .274/.389/.429/.818 vs LHP – .293/.327/.511/.837
         Muncy vs RHP – .246/.375/.519/.894 vs LHP – .282/.408/.590/.998
         Mookie vs RHP – .268/.372/.502/.874 vs LHP – .260/.371/.519/.890
         CT3 vs RHP – .254/.354/.424/.778 vs LHP – .297/.362/.543/.905
         Will Smith vs RHP – .287/.405/.561/.967 vs LHP – .213/.295/.380/.675
         JT vs RHP – .289/.387/.451/.844 vs LHP – .264/.338/.486/.823
         T Turner vs RHP – .295/.342/.460/.802 vs LHP – .392/.441/.669/1.110
         Tio Albert vs RHP – .180/.237/.273/.511 vs LHP – .295/.331/.590/.921

         While AJ has been very productive against LHP, he is not the only one. Of the above, only Will Smith does not have an OPS > .800 against LHP. I think it was more than AJ. AJ will be missed no matter what hand the pitcher throws with.

   2. OPS vs Lefties – 734, 17th in the league
      OPS vs Righties – 759, 5th in the league
      SLG vs Lefties – 424, 12th
      SLG vs Righties – 420, 9th

      The numbers are pretty even, but not compared to the rest of the league.

      1. I am okay if you go along with the notion that to beat the Dodgers, pitch a LHP. I am not going to try to dissuade you from those thoughts. I just find it odd that the Dodgers have the best winning percentage against LHP, and yet there is that belief that the Dodgers cannot beat LHP. Other than Fresh Prince and Belli, what LAD regular has been unproductive against LHP?

         1. What thoughts? I just listed stats and said they hit lefties and righties pretty evenly, based on the stats. Compared to the rest of the league, they’re middle of the pack. I made no argument. Geesh.

10. Defense is important, it is not the only key to winning, but of course it is important. Isn’t defense the main reason you put Cody in the outfield? Mark makes that argument only because the Dodgers defense is not good. in tight games and with good opposing pitching you can avoid losing with good defense or losing with mediocre one

    1. We score more runs than any team in the NL, which is amazing considering how much time some of our best hitters have been missing in action. We give up fewer runs than any team, and that isn’t done by stealing defensive runs saved. It’s done with pitching, which by the way is part of defense. Sometimes I sit and wonder, how good would this team be with May, Bauer, Gonsolin, Kershaw, Mookie, Seager and Bellinger at full strength all year. True, that would mean we wouldn’t have Scherzer, but, so what. With all those guys we wouldn’t need him.

       1. Se aburririan de ganar tantos partidos y serían el equipo más odioso de GL.

11. There is no reason to worry about an offence that has T. Turner, Seager, Betts, Muncy, J. Turner, and Smith.

    1. But ‘cept Muncy has a wall, Mookie has hit a wall, Turner has hit a wall, Bellinger was knocked unconscious and is lying at the foot of the wall….. somebody should move that wall.

    2. 1. Just a few odds and ends……………
       When in Hollywood, do as they do in Hollywood…………I want Bauer to be found innocent and then I want Senor Puiggy signed………………and then we have the biggest, baddest press conference anyone has ever seen as they introduce Puig and Bauer together on the same stage.!………..lights, camera,
       ACIONNE – now THAT’S HOLLYWOOD !(available on Netflicks in 2 wks)

       2. Let’s put all of the drama aside for a minute, put away the crying towels and take a more cogent approach to the signing of Seager. AF does not offer a contract to CS and instead tears up Trea’s current contract and signs him up for about $230-$250 Mil for 7-8 years with no opt/out clauses. For the following reasons I think it would be best deal for LA and TT because he has:
       1. Superior hitting average
       2. Roadrunner (beep, beep!!) base running skills
       3. You can put him in the starting lineup with reliability
       4. In addition to enhanced hitting, can also hit for power
       5. If you sign him now, he is just beginning to reach his physical peak
       6. With the CBA expiring on Dec 01 2021, one way or another the owners
       are going to have a reduced salary ceiling in the new deal. Trea will be incentivised sign sooner rather then later
       7. LA fans love TT and he loves playing in LA (per his interviews)
       8. He and Mookie get this team energized like no one else – make them a Hollywood power couple (sorry guys, I had to)
       9. When Turner gets on base, he demands attention from the pitcher, first baseman, 2nd baseman , shortstop and catcher. These ongoing tremor waves of energy can make the difference between winning and losing.
       10. Dealing with Corey’s agent, Scot Boras is going to be a mess. He doesn’t stop until he and his clients extract every pound of flesh they can from the team management contact they are working a-g-a-i-n-s-t. They want more goodies than a sugar addict, including double optouts.

       3. That performance last night my Juli was, without doubt, the best by a LAD pitcher this year. His ability to keep the hitters off balance by changing the velo and location from pitch to pitch was incomparable in 2021. I would have no hesitancy voting him as the best pitcher in the NL.
       Just a question in curiosity……….Julio always uses an interpreter at his post game pressers yet when Will or Mark go out to talk to him (I noticed they speak rapidly based on how fast their mouths are moving) he doesn’t seem to have any problems understanding them. Mark and Will also will cover their lips up (for security) which can make it ever more difficult if the receiver wasn’t fluent in English. Has anyone ever heard Julio speak English ?
       Can’t wait for game time tonight- ROLL BLUE !!!!

12. A couple of notes. Former Dodger Henry Ramos, how many remember him? He has been called up by the Diamondbacks. He was raking at AAA hitting way over .300. Raley will not get the call. He is on the IL. Tanner Roarke was declared a free agent. Congrats to UCLA on their upset win over LSU.

13. With the minor league schedule going through September it makes me wonder if they challenge Leonard with one more promotion. It also seems strange to me that Cartaya has been shut down for the rest of the year. There has to be more to the story than the injury that was reported.

    1. Kid is young. They are protecting him at all costs. I heard nothing about his injury at all just that he was shut down.

       1. He has a hamstring injury. Severe enough to shut him down for the year. But I agree, they are not going to take chances with him.

14. This afternoons lineup. Turner 2B, Muncy 1b, Betts RF, Turner 3B, Seager SS, Smith C, Taylor LF, Bellinger CF, Buehler, P. No roster moves announced yet.

15. The best way to beat the Dodgers is to throw off speed! Max has been especially flailing away the last week or so. Can’t blame Roberts for not putting out our best lineup today!

    1. His options are limited with Pollock out. And no one has been called up from AAA yet. Nor is Pollock on the 10 IL. Neither is Price. For those of you who disliked them, the Dodgers are going to wear the city connect Los Dodgers uni’s for tonights game. Oh yeah Cassidy, the only non regular in that lineup is Taylor, at least he is supposed to be the super sub.

16. A couple of notes about Taylor. His next K will be number 150 for the season! In 129 games. He has struck out 43 times in his last 30 games. Over the last month he is hitting .228. He has struck out 11 times in the last 7 games. So gripe all you want about Bellinger, But Taylor and Muncy are slumping big time. Muncy has struck out 34 times in the last 30 games and is hitting .202. He has hit 8 HR’s over that time. He also drew 13 walks. Bellinger has struck out 30 times in the last 30 games. Hitting a paltry .190. He does have 4 homers. JT is hitting .225 over the last 30 with 20 K’s, That is 127 K’s in the last 30 games by some of your best hitters, except Cody of course. He has not been himself all year.

    1. That is the difference Bear………..your last sentence. “he has not been himself
       (Bellinger) all year. Each of the other players you reference, at multiple times have carried the team. Cody cannot say the same. If Cody could have just taken his ego out of his own self created problems and gone down to OKC to work things out, he would be in a much better place as the playoffs are eminent. Yes I understand how these big salary players’ super image of themselves would probably never let this suggestion of mine come into existence. He could have gone down where the pressure would have been minimal, if any at all. He would not have any where near the distractions he has in LA. After a couple of months in AAA gaining knowledge and confidence and improvement, he could have come back for 25 games to ready himself for the money ball. We all know, he is as lost, as lost can be.
       His swing has not changed in the past 4 months. He makes minor changes to his stance but not his swing which is his biggest problem. His swing is from 12 to 6 and 1 to 5 where it should be from 2 to 4. All he has to do is look at the swings of his fellow team members: AB, WS, AJ, TT, MM, MB. They have beautiful swings compared to his. His refusal to change is not going to sit well for him. I want him to succeed as much as all of the Dodger fans do, but he has to admit the problem is his swing and then make a commitment to work with an off-season coach who will not coddle him but work his ass off because if he doesn’t, this year will feel like a piece of cake compared to what he will go through in 2022.

17. Some of you may recall a couple of years back that I was pulling hard for Henry Ramos to get called up by LAD. He has had some very productive MiLB campaigns (including with LAD), but has never made it to ML…until now. The DBacks have selected Ramos to be on the ML roster. I could not be happier for the young man. Below is the MLBTR article on his selection.

    https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2021/09/diamondbacks-select-henry-ramos.html

    1. Isn’t his younger brother considered a top prospect for the Giants?

18. 09/05/21 Los Angeles Dodgers recalled RHP Mitch White from Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.
    09/05/21 Los Angeles Dodgers placed CF AJ Pollock on the 10-day injured list. Right hamstring strain.

    1. surprising move. Bench is now very thin and White pitched 6 innings Friday so he probably is not available today anyway.

       Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!

19. Just found the perfect right handed hitting outfielder to replace AJ. Young kid named DJ Peters who plays for the Rangers. He’s hit two homers so far today and the game is only in the 5th inning.

    Or, if we want another lefty hitting outfielder, there’s a guy named Tsutsugo who hit his 7th homer for the Pirates today in his 19th game with the team.

    1. Yeah, it’s kinda crazy that Recks and Raley aren’t good enough to get called up after AJ got injured, but they let Tsutsugo and Peters walk. Not that Peters has looked all that great, entering today he’s .182/.248/.394/.643. But, overall he’s still better than RandR. Yoshii, on the other hand, is killing it in Pittsburg.

       The front office isn’t perfect, but they’re pretty damn good overall.

       1. Yeah, I certainly wasn’t complaining and my comment was made tongue in cheek. Given our roster situation, I’m not faulting AF for moving both of those guys. In fact, he did them both a favor.

          Who was that outfielder/first baseman who was killing it at OKC early this year (hitting over .400) and the Dodgers released him to go play in Japan. I wonder how he’s doing over there?

          1. Rangel Revelo. 0-6 across 3 games with one walk.

             1. Surprised he’s only had 6 at bats. Wonder if he’s hurt. They signed him almost three months ago.

    2. Aquí los pulen y otros los aprovechan, creo que es por la exigencia tan alta que tienen para poder competir con los titulares del equipo grande, en aquellos equipos están menos presionados y luego se ven los resultados, es claro que hay niveles.

20. September 5, 2021
    Danny Duffy (forearm) completed a bullpen session Sunday and is expected to throw another in the near future, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

21. https://theathletic.com/2807837/2021/09/04/the-margins-between-the-dodgers-and-giants-are-slim-as-friday-painfully-showed/

    Good piece in The Athletic by Fabian Ardaya about how close the Dodgers-Giants games have been this, often turning on a single play (or so it appears.)
    Somehow I’d forgotten about Belli airmailing that throw from first to third. Certainly remember Kenley getting screwed on a “””check swing that wasn’t.
    And Fabian didn’t even mention Trautman robbing Pujols of a HR… OK, that wasn’t really a great robbery–unlike Pollock’s recent Play of the Week–but Pujols just missed by inches.
    And by the way, Trea Turner needs to make that throw. But wasn’t it possible to play Smith at 3rd and move JT to 1st?

22. Looks like Bobby Miller is being moved up to Tulsa.
    I remember how impressive he was in a game that was televised from the alternate site last year.
    Maybe we’ll see him next year, but if not, I would think 2023 for sure.

23. Actually, Tim, I never said Giants were ranked No. 3 in defense.
    I quoted Charlie Steiner as making two interesting points:
    –That the Giants’ pitching staff had allowed the fewest number of walks in the MLB.
    –And that only two teams in the MLB have committed fewer errors.
    As Charlie summed up, the Giants just don’t make as many mistakes as most teams. They are fundamentally sound. Total errors, like fielding %, don’t come close to quantifying defensive quality. Remember Sheldon Neuse failing to stretch for a throw on that force play at 2nd Base? (Roberts certainly does–and all but called him out in the postgame.) Neuse didn’t make an error–and frankly I thought the throw from SS (Taylor, I think) could have been firmer. At any rate, a bad play that wasn’t an error.

24. Fucking Bell!!!. Now, Dodgers have yo hit..that is a Big problem

    1. Did you really think Cody could hit a 95+ fast ball? Lol

       I was hoping they would give him the bunt signal.

25. Chris Taylor was the key batter there, and he totally failed.

    It was predictable that Bellinger would strike out, and then the pitcher.

    1. I believe Taylor really needs some time off. He is not supposed to be an everyday player, but I guess with no Pollock, he may have to play every game.

    2. Exactly Taylor sucked and then you have the equivalent of two pitchers hitting behind him
       Sucks when you have two number nine hitters in the lineup

26. Taylor and Bellinger what a disaster!!!

27. I don’t know if we will know for sure with Peters, but Tut Tut asked to be released – probably knew the Pirates wanted him. I suspect Peters asked out too. Neither player had any value and AF is known to let players go if they have no future with the Dodgers. Chris Woodward and AF go back, so that may be the reason for Peters.

    Davidson, Souza, Reks, Riley, and others will likely move on this offseason.

28. Butane getting lit up today.

    1. Throwing away that Cy Young that everyone had already given him.

29. These friggin pesky Giants….don’t they know their place? Don’t they know who is pitching for us? Don’t they know how many superstars we have out there? Don’t they know it’s their time to roll over like a good puppy dog?

    Hasn’t anyone given them the script to read? Sigh….

    1. They want this one. More than us? Guess we’ll find out.

    2. They read the script…….. pitch to Bellinger with the pitcher on deck and an open base, it’s a sure strikeout.

30. Mmmmmm Dogers lost two very good opportunities

31. Game over!!!

32. September 5, 2021
    Gonsolin (shoulder) felt good after Saturday’s rehab start and could be activated soon, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

33. Something tells me they’re pulling a Houston astrik on us.

34. I predict a Dodger win today.

35. Tere is the possibility for Walker to lose the Cy Young

36. Wow, one of the biggest games of the year and Walker lays an egg. Will the Giants will beat us having used five pitchers through 3 IP?

37. Tomorrow was supposed have Giants firmly planted in the rear view mirror for us to not look back at the rest of this season.

38. I care less about Buehler winning the Cy Young. I care about an anemic offense, over use of the bullpen, and them having no real answer so far for the offense being as bad as it has been. Muncy ofer the series. Buehler is just getting an old fashioned ass whipping.

39. We need to chip away, but unfortunately we don’t have the team philosophy to do that. Hope I’m wrong, and the boys bail out Buelher, The way he bailed out the offense all year

40. WTF is wrong with CT3, that strike out from Quintana was never a strike from the moment it left his hand. Is he just guessing or is he reading and reacting? CT3 and Cody are not in a good spot right now, almost a sure out every AB

    1. He’s done this before. How the hell he gets out of it is anybody’s guess. It seems like he keeps flailing way until he doesn’t

    2. CT3 is just tired….

       1. The whole team looks tired.

41. Ampayer is dodgers’s fun..many Strikes no call

42. You can talk bad about Bellinger all you like, but one of the main reasons the Dodgers offense is struggling is Taylor. Two K’s today, 5 runners stranded. 151 K’s this season. The whole team looks a little lethargic. Muncy has not looked good all series. Right now I would take Beaty’s bat over both of them.

    1. Agree right now not impressed by either CT3 or Belli. Both seem like an automatic out. Call up Beaty tomorrow and give CT3 a day off tomorrow.

       1. I would think that he already got the call and is headed to St. Loo to meet the team. They need offense from somebody.

    2. Yeah with Taylor leading the charge, it makes it tough when you have the bottom third of your lineup automatic outs
       With a AJ is out of the lineup the Dodgers don’t have anybody to plug in.
       Taylor definitely needs a rest but who are you going to play.
       You could say this game is just another loss if they do lose it,it’ll be a huge momentum shift for the Giants

       1. Come on boys let’s show some balls and have a big comeback

          1. What a disappointment. Buehler grooving pitches starting with Belt. Leaving runners on base again. Having Cody in the lineup is like having two pitchers hitting. Losing AJ right now is huge. I agree that Beaty needs a call up. To cap it off Mookie continues to have more bad calls on him than any batter in the league.

43. Munch hasn’t looked good since his wife gave birth to their baby. Maybe no sleep for him.

    Bellinger is so lost. He’s becoming an automatic out.

    CT3 is in a major funk.

    When your ace decides not to be an ace, bad things will happen.

    1. At least Muncy runs into one now and then. Taylor has not even been making contact. Bellinger the same. They could have easily taken the lead in this game against the pitchers they have faced. The deeper they go into the Giants bullpen, the better the relievers. The Giants are not giving Seager the chance to beat them. He has walked 3 times today.

44. I had given up too early. Now I have the feeling dodgers will win this game tonight. Only need 5 runs. We got this. lay the money down!

    1. Not the way they are hitting right now.

       1. I know it wouldn’t work with today’s players. But right about now Tommy would be doing some ASS CHEWING
          Two runs through seven in a bullpen game for the hated ones unacceptable
          And now everybody’s pissed at me because I burnt the burgers I need a drink

45. No proof but I’m guessing this one is probably Dave Roberts fault. Who else could it be? Not fun watching the biggest game of the year.

    1. Yep it’s Roberts. He’s keeps giving these guys days off and it hasn’t worked.

46. Good scene showing both Taylor and Corey in dogout. I feld sorry for both……but I remmebered both are rich and young. They must produce as professional

47. Giants kept dodgers alive in the 6th

48. Only TT, Saeager and some how Smith have hit…no Muncy, no Betts and no Turner

49. Last 15 Games:

    Max Muncy – .109
    Cody Bellinger – .125
    Billy McKinney – .125
    Chris Taylor – .160
    Albert Pujols – .190
    Justin Turner – .212
    Mookie Betts – .245

    Any questions?

    1. That pretty much said it all !

    2. When I see that, it does give me hope.

       Baseball is a game of streaks and that tells me that some of those guys are getting ready to GO OFF!

       1. In that case Cody Bellinger should be a NUCLEAR EXPLOSION.

       2. Crazy we had a winning streak through most of that.

50. Henry Ramos got a hit in his first MLB at-bat!

    Way to go!

51. Put Pujols allá the time!!!!

52. Rally round the machine boys! Be a good rascal and join in the band.

53. Minor League Report:

    Mike Busch is raking like a lunatic – 2-4 tonight. BA up to .260.

    Mike Grove went 4 innings, allowed 2 hits, 1 ER, walked 0, and K’ed 4. The Dodgers have been unusually patient with him. It’s starting to pay off.

    V-Gon pitched one shutout inning for OKC tonight.

    Lux played CF and was 0 for 4.

    Brandon Lewis hit his 30th HR today.

    Rancho put up 19 runs on Lake Elsinore on 20 hits.

54. That pitch to Betts is a microcosm of the Giants and Dodgers games.

    The Giants are just getting everything their way this year.

55. wow! kill the punk umpire.

56. The home plate umpire taking the bat away from Betts needs to be fired. That’s just wrong!

57. Unbelieveable! Top of the 9th, 2-2 pitch to Mookie and the umpire takes the bat out of his hands with a called 3rd strike that was clearly a ball. The Giants have indeed got every close call their way. Don’t forget the non-called check swing 3rd strike to Ruff in LA when KJ was having a meltdown. If he had been rung up the game is over but the 1st base um said no swing and Ruff walked only to see Wade get a hit next and the Dodgers lose.

    The freaking umpires are being paid good money to get it right. Bring on the electronic strike zone. This BS is too much.

    1. They got a lot of those this weekend.

58. The Dodgers cleared a 40-man roster spot by outrighting right-hander Ryan Meisinger to Triple-A. Los Angeles claimed Meisinger off waivers from the Cubs on Tuesday and only briefly kept him on the big league roster before assigning him to the minors. Meisinger has tossed 31 innings over parts of three MLB seasons, including 7 1/3 frames with Chicago this season that saw the righty post a 12.27 ERA. The results have been much better for Meisinger at Triple-A over his career, as he has a 3.18 ERA and 31.25% strikeout rate over 93 1/3 frames at the top minor league level.

    1. Maybe they’ve cleared a spot for Davidson to be called up from Oklahoma City

59. Home unpire helped Dodgers some times . Saved Saeager for a strikeout…and the same for Smith with the Load bases….I agree the pitch to Betts was a balls with Any dude…but unpire Made mistakes both sides

    1. Agree Daniel. The umpires didn’t lose that game for us our shitty approach.
       did.
       We play the last three games with Milwaukee, and if we end up tied we lose home field advantage
       Like Vinny used to always say the Dodgers never do anything easy

60. Dodgers got a run from shit calls earlier too but still, that call to Mookie really killed the momentum and the pressure on McGee.

    Terrible game.

    Giants come on with a bullpen game, no Posey against Bueller and get lit up. Completely looked flat.

    Can someone PLEASE show Bellinger the bunt that Crawford laid down over and over and over and over on the plane to St. L? Did I hear that right on the ESPN broadcast that Bellinger is hitting like 138 on fastballs? Jeez. I saw him on his knees on swings, falling sideways on others. Dude is so far off and STILL swinging for the 5 run homer no matter the count, pitch or situation. Losing Pollack is really going to hurt with Bellinger being just flat out awful.

    Taylor may be sucking the last few days but I would still rather watch his ABs. At least they are somewhat competitive. Bellinger’s are not even close. Just about automatic as watching Rich Hill bat.

    I am not a Roberts fan at all but can’t really lay any of this sorry game on him. Bueller laid an egg. Offense sucked. Pretty much sums it up.

    I have to admit that I like the ways the Giants play to win. Not afraid to change out pitchers at any time, drop a bunt, even Crawford getting caught stealing I was thinking that I wished LA did that more often .

    LA just looks so predictable on offense. ADOUCHE made a good point on the broadcast that I think people who think like me will agree with. I am sure other coaches tell their guys that LA will NOT bunt so no need to worry about that. It shows. With T Turner, Betts, Belli, Lux (when up), Pollack having good to great speed, I still can’t see why they don’t………..especially Bellinger since he obviously can’t hit his way on.

    This was a big loss after the Brave sweep and a big series loss but still a lot left to play. Hopefuly Taylor and Muncy can get it going. Bellinger is a lost cause at this point. If he was going to adjust, he would have by now. Still the same approach that hasn’t worked in over a year.

61. TT helped McGee too. He swing a Bad pitch with 2 balls and no Strikes

62. Well at least our bullpen held it together. It’s sad our bullpen is our only strength at this stage.

63. Looks like an offensive team schneid. This was an important late season game and the giants seemed much more up for it than we were.

    If Muncy, Taylor, Turner and Mookie all finish like this we could have have trouble winning the Division and we won’t go far in the playoffs. I don’t expect much from Bellinger, Seager should be ok but right now we have too many easy outs in this lineup. I expect them to snap out of it of course, and I’d rather see them all go ape in October, but the look we had tonight is concerning to me. We should have won this game and frankly we sucked.

64. I do think Roberts has to share the blame for this one. He should have pulled Buehler in the second inning before the game got out of hand, knowing the offense would struggle to catch up. It does nothing for team morale or Buehler’s confidence to let him flail/fail.

65. I know Bellinger isn’t the reason we lost this game. But just to make a point. People want to compare him to Matt Kemp and Agon.
    But neither of those guys went anywhere close to tanking like Belli has
    He just refuses to cut his swing down. Maybe Roberts needs to call his dad, maybe he can get through to him
    Maybe I’m being naïve

66. The pitch to Betts and the many other miscalls in this game are emblematic of the mediocre pitch calling that we have been seeing all year. The Commissioner and MLB are surely aware of this problem and need to address it this winter. It simply cannot continue.

67. Noname, I coached Little League 50 years ago so what do I know, but I hear people say how much Belli is working on his swing.
    Maybe he is, no doubt he is but I just don’t see much of any adjustments. Same old swing every time, with mostly the same results every time. Maybe it’s his shoulder but if it is, I doubt his shoulder is going to get better with that violent swing. To me Belli has no control of his swing and no confidence that he can it a ball.
    I just don’t understand why he doesn’t try another approach. Sad to watch!

68. I am the one who has brought up Kemp and Agon with respect their struggles after their shoulder problems. I am not going to do any research or look anything up with respect to either of them. In the case of Agon, I believe it occurred while he was with Boston, and I wasn’t following him at the time. In Matt Kemp’s case, I believe his injury occurred in August 2012, when he crashed into the outfield wall in Colorado. If memory serves, I believe he ended that season going about 1 for 50, and it took him a several more years to recover.

    Hopefully with advances in knowledge and medical technology the recovery time will be quicker for Bellinger.

69. Agon , and Kemp to some degree, kept hitting however. They just lost a lot of power, especially Agon.

    Bellinger get blown away by mediocre fastballs.

    Agon and Kemp has long histories of being top echelon hitters, especially Agon.

    I don’t think I would even somewhat put Bellinger in that category, even with an MVP two years ago.

    If Bellinger has a bum shoulder, and I really do wonder if that is just cover for a shit player right now, then swinging like that isn’t helping. I have a torn labrum right now that needs repair and it hurts just watching him swing. Why on earth the brass isn’t telling him shorten up, drop some bunts, etc. and let use your speed on the bases!!!

    THIS team doesn’t need him to hit HRs to win. It used to be sad to watch. Then it was frustrating. Now it’s just laughable. He will surely run into a few over the next few weeks, and the Cody is Back guys will appear.

    He is lost and every pitcher knows that he can’t hit a decent fastball. Throw it a little up and he is toast. Just about every single time.

70. The game was lost before the 9th but still a frustrating 9th inning after the HR. McGee was rattled so I just don’t get TT swinging 2-0 when they need a runner on base anyways.

    Yes, the Dodgers hitters had a couple of close calls go their way but until the 9th inning thats how the ump had called the zone. For Mookie two balls were called strikes that weren’t even close. That’s the frustrating part. They weren’t borderline calls on Mookie. Please bring in the electronic K zone already.

    Time to get Seager in the two hole where he belongs.

71. It took Kemp almost a year and a half before he was hitting with authority again. A=gone was solid after about the same length of time, but was never a 40 HR guy again. Bellinger had his surgery about 10 months ago. SO l think he will be a better hitter come next season. Especially if he gets a full spring training to work with the coaches. A couple of other things, first off, I would love to see them re-sign Seager, but i see a couple of problems, one, he is a Boras client and Boras wants his players to go after the money. Second, they also have to make decisions on Scherzer, Kershaw, Taylor, and Jansen. Third, no one knows what the threshold is going to be. But, you can bet the MLBPA is not going to allow the owners to drop the threshold. They want to make it 180 million, and that is not going to happen. The MLBPA is not going to take a step back. Everyone keeps saying JT will be the DH next season, but that has not even been discussed yet, Personally, the first thing I want enacted is the electronic strike zone. As bad as so many of these calls have been the last week, something needs to be done. Limiting the shift. That also should be on the agenda. I hate it when Machado is playing out there in short right like they do in softball. This stuff has got to end. I want to see the DH simply because I am tired of pitchers killing rally’s. And Buehler made my case when he struck out in the second inning. The Dodgers were a great team last year because they had the DH, and they did a great job coming back in games. This year, not so much.

72. Walker Buehler with his worst outing of the year in the most important game of the year. He was so bad that you have to wonder if he is injured. The Giants won the season series 9-8, and with the Dodgers chasing them, the Giants have beaten the Dodgers in three straight series. They have won 7 of the last 10 games against the Dodgers. The Giants have less talent but they are the better team head to head and deserve the division.
    The Giants were able to beat the Cy Young favorite with a mix of average pitchers including two released from the pitiful Angels staff.
    The Dodgers seem to lack the effort and desire of the Giants. Maybe after winning a championship, the team just doesn’t have the same edge. The giants seem much more willing to do whatever it takes to win including bunting for hits, shortening up and emphasizing opposite field contact, and pitching multiple innings or back to back games.
    A very disappointing game and series, but have to hand it to the Giants for somehow finding a way to win 2 of 3.

    1. I think the analysis that they lack effort and desire is totally wrong. Unless you are with the team in the clubhouse, you have no idea what their mind set is. I see guys trying hard, maybe too hard. I know the Bellinger is. You can see it in his eyes every time he fails,

    2. 9 men left on base did not help the situation. Clutch hitting was a problem in the Giant series.

73. The ump stunk both ways.

    Belli still stinks, automatic out except maybe against AA pitchers

    Poor CT3 is begging to have a few games off, but no can do (Pollock out)

    Giants deserve the credit- bullpen v Buehler. David v Goliath, and David won again.

74. Dodger 40 man roster is at 39 as of today. A move is coming from AF. Maybe Davidson or Sousa from Oklahoma City to add a much needed right handed bat and to spell Bellinger against left handed pitchers. We will face two lefties in Kim and Happ in the Cardinal series this week.

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